QCOSTARICA – It took just a few hours for all the bottles of the new Tesla brand tequila to sell out after going on sale for $250 a bottle. The American company, recognized for its electric cars and innovation, surprised by launching its new, luxurious, and exclusive drink.
Tesla has not yet revealed exactly how many bottles of the tequila the company has sold, or how many were produced overall.
Tesla’s website describes the tequila as “an exclusive, small-batch premium 100% de agave tequila añejo made from sustainably sourced highland and lowland agaves.”
The company goes on to say the tequila, which was aged for 15 months in French oak barrels, has notes of fruit, vanilla, cinnamon and pepper.
But behind this particular launch is the story of a Costa Rican who just a few years ago the idea of producing together with Elon Musk’s company did not cross his mind.
His name is Carlos Soto, founder of the company Nosotros Tequila, based in California, USA. Since 2016, it has produced artisanal tequila that is already sold in California, Las Vegas, Costa Rica, and Honduras. They offer the public the particularity of a “balanced” tequila, which is achieved by mixing agaves from different regions of Mexico.
In what Soto describes as a “ups and downs”, the company has been positioning itself in one of the most important markets for the sale of this alcoholic beverage. But during the last hours the jump was exponential.
Nos Tequila, the company of the young Costa Rican (who works closely with fellow Tica, Silvana Volio, designer involved in the image of Nosotros Tequila), was in charge of producing this new product together with Tesla.
Additionally, each of the lightning bolt-shaped tequila bottles that were put up for sale were designed by hand. That is, no two bottles are the same.
Soto commented that this product is intended to make a tribute to sustainable energy, but it also pays tribute to the mythological history of the well-known drink, which says that a God sent a thunderclap that fell on the agave, from which the “ potion”.
Soto left Costa Rica at age 18 with the goal of studying entrepreneurship in the United States. When he was about to finish his degree, a professor asked them to think about a new business, one that did not have to do with technology, since this market had already been covered.
Soto recounts that having drinks with friends he realized that in California bars it was very common to consume tequila. He checked and the data corroborated it. He managed to solve the teacher’s task, but more than that, this was the start of his company.
He decided to travel to Mexico and immerse himself in the life of distillation. Months later, he joined forces with a Mexican family to start his first production and in 2016 they released the first batch.
The first months were really bad for the company, says Soto. However, in 2017 they won an important award considered the “Oscar of distillates”, an event that they did not expect and that catapulted the business.
Little by little space has been opened and by 2020, Nosotros Tequila is a team of nine people with a presence in three countries. They offer white tequila, reposado, mezcal and now a “Premium” version created with Elon Musk.
“I never imagined it. This has been a roller coaster of emotions and ups and downs, because just as we are now in a very ‘tuanis’ place, we have been in tough moments,” Soto said.
The deal with Tesla came about proximity. The headquarters of the two brands are close by and this favored contact between them. Both have been working approximately for two years on the new product, work that was done under the utmost secrecy.
“They discovered us because of how good we taste. The last 24 hours have been crazy (after the launch),” says Soto.
Musk’s idea of a Tesla-branded tequila started as an April Fool’s Day prank in 2018. And, now the tequila is sold out.
Teslaquila coming soon … https://t.co/AtoVGOtvVR
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 12, 2018
For now it is unknown if there will be more launches.
Then, in July 2020, Musk again teased the imminent arrival of the onetime prank liquor with a tweet that said: “Coming soon, our battle with Big Tequila! It’s real.”
And as of Friday, November 6, 2020, a note on the website says the pricey tequila is already “temporarily out of stock.”
The first 750-milliliter bottles were priced at US$250 and only two bottles were allowed per person. In addition, the sale was limited to some states in the United States.
“Nothing comes easy (…) Every decision you make has to come with many hours of dedication or effort,” Soto recommended.
